Cooling system for internal combustion engine arrangements



June 15, 1937. F. H. BREHOB COOLING SYSTEM FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTIONENGINE ARRANGEMENTS Filed Aug. 23, 1935 Ihventor: Frederick H. Br'eh ob,

#- 5 19M Attor'neg.

Patented June 15, 1937 1 COOLING SYSTEM FOR INTERNAL COMBUS- TION ENGINEARRANGEIVIENTS Frederick H. Brehob, Erie, Pa., assig'nor to GeneralElectric Company, a corporation of New York Application August 23, 1935,Serial No. 37,522

5 Claims.

formly cooled. This may be due to differences in load output between thedifferent engines and due also to the difierent cooling effect of thesur- 15 face type heat exchangers because of differences in the coolingforces such as direction of wind and direction of locomotive withrespect to the heat exchangers. For example, it is clear that it isoftentimes advisable and desirable to locate 20 two or more radiatorsremoved from ,each other, located so that the maximum amount of exposedsurface to the atmospherecan be obtained consistent with the design ofthe locomotive as a whole, so that the coolers or heat exchangers 25receive cooling air in the most efficient manner.

The object of my invention is to provide an improvedconstruction andarrangement of the above specified type, whereby the internal combustionengine or engines are more uniformly 30 cooled. This is accomplished inaccordance with my invention by connecting one or more engines or banksor groups of engine cylinders in series with the respective coolers, orin the event where there is one engine with two pumps, connecting T 5the two pumps in series with the respective cool-' 'ers'. For instance,if an arrangement includes two engines or banks of cylinders and twocoolers, I connect the engines and coolers so that each engine receivescoolingmedium, such as 40 water, from one cooler and discharges theheated cooling medium into the other cooler. The circulation of coolingmedium may be effected in the known manner by circulating pumps.

For a better understanding of what I believe to 45 be novel and myinvention, attention is directed to the following description and theclaims appended thereto in connection with the accompanying 'drawing. l

The single figure of the drawing showsdia- 50 grammatically anarrangement in accordance with my invention, The arrangement comprisesengine means, in the present instance, two groups or banks of enginecylinders in the form -of separate internal combustion engines l and 55H having cooling jackets with inlets I2, l3, and

outlets l4, l5, respectively. The cooling jackets are formed in knownmanner around the cylinders to define spaces through which the coolingmedium, such as water, is circulated. The cooling medium is conductedthrough two surface type heat exchangers or radiators i6 and H,respectively. Each heat exchanger includes a lower header l8 and anupper header l9 connected by a plurality of cooling tubes 20. The levelof the cooling liquid in the heat exchangers is indicated by dottedlines 2|; The cooling of the water in the heat exchangers is efiected byair passed through the intermediate spaces defined by the tubes or banksof tubes 20.. The inlet [2 for the engine In receives water from thelower header of the heat exchanger ll through means including a conduit22 and a pump 23. The water discharged from the engine 10 is conductedinaccordance with my invention to the upper header I9 of the other heatexchanger l6 by means of a conduit 24. Similarly, the engine ll receiveswater. from the lower header N3 of the heat exchanger 16 through aconduit 25 and a pump 26, and the water is discharged from the outlet lof the engine ll through a conduit 21 into the upper header of the heatexchanger l'l, Thus, the engines or engine means are connected in serieswith the pumps, each engine or bank of cylinders receiving-coolingmedium from one heat exchanger and discharging it to the other heatexchanger. The pumps 23 and 26 may be driven from a single shaft orseparate shafts on the same engine as indicated by a dashdotted line'28. The conduits 22 and 25 are provided with branch pipes 29 havingvalves 30 through which the cooling medium may be drained from thesystem. Cooling medium, in the present instance water, is supplied tothe system from a reservoir 3! located so that water contained thereinis at the same level as in the upper headers I!) of the heat exchangers.The reservoir 3| is connected by conduits 32, 33 to the inlets of thepumps 23 and 26 so that as the water from the heat exchangers is used,it is uniformly replenished from the tank 3| flowing through theintermediaries of both engines or banks of engine cylinders I0 and II tothe heat exchangers l6 and I1. The top of the reservoir 3| is providedwith a supply conduit 34 for receiving make-up liquid from an externalsource, not shown. This conduit is vented to atmosphere to preventexcessive internal pressures due to expansion or boiling of the coolingmedium. The headers IQ of the heat exchangers l6 and H are vented bymeans of pipes 35 and 36 connected at one end to the headers andprojecting into the conduit 34. Each vent pipe35, 36 in the presentinstance includes a coupling 31 and an end portion 33 welded to theconduit 34. The end portion 38 projects into the conduit 34 and is bentdownward so that make-up water supplied through the conduit 34 does notenter the pipes, and in the event of water discharging through thevented pipes, the water does not splash out of the top of the ventedconduit 34.

The system may be used without the tank 3|, provided the storagecapacity is ample and suitable in headers IS, in which case conduits 34and 32 become one and the same.

During operation, uniform cooling of the .en-

gines is assured, dueto the fact that they are connected in series withthe heat exchangers. This is a distinct advantage of'my invention. Itprovides for better emciency and more reliable operation of the system,as it eliminates the necessity of operating any cooling fans which maybe i used at diiferent speeds for the two coolers l6 and I 1, therebysaving power and simplifying the control.

Another important advantage of my system is apparent in the case ofinternal combustion engine arrangements including two separate enginesof which one only is operated at certain times. Due to the fact that thetwo engines are connected in series with their respective heatexchangers, the engine which is not operated is maintained heated, thatis, maintained at a certain temperature during operation of the otherengine. This permits putting the first engine into operation quicklywithout the danger of setting up excessive stresses during the startingperiod. Cooling medium, such as water, is circulated through bothengines at all times. This is of special significance where two enginesand two heat exchangers are provided for operating a locomotive becauseduring operation of one engine only such engine protects the entirelocomotive drive, that is, the other engine as well as both heatexchangers, preventing freezing of the cooling medium during coldweather conditions.

During hot weather conditions, when the load is light and only oneengine is needed, both radiators or heat exchangers may be used forefiecting cooling, thereby saving power for driving special fans to coolthe heat exchangers. Valves-for controlling the fiow of cooling mediumthrough the individual engine may be completely eliminated.

Also, the provision of separate coolers in the form' v of fans to coolthe engine which receives less cooling medium or to cool the heatexchanger which, is less favorably located under a particular condi- 1tion is no longer necessary because of the equalization of the coolingefiect of both heat exchangers.

A further advantage of my invention results from the fact that theconduit for conducting make-up cooling medium, such as water, to theheat exchangers is connected to the inlet or suction side of both pumps.This arrangement provides for uniform flow of make-up cooling liquid toboth engines or banks of engine cylinders and their respective heatexchangers.

Still another important advantage lies in the ventingof both heatexchangers to the make-up conduit 34. In case of overflow of one heatexchanger, the liquid discharged therefrom is not bodiment thereof, butI desire to have it under-' stood that the apparatus shown is onlyillustrative and that the invention may be carried out by other means.

What I claim as .new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theUnited States is;

1. The combination of at least two banks of internal combustion enginecylinders with at least two pumps and a plurality of coolers for thebanks connected in series so that eachv bank receives cooling mediumfrom one cooler and discharges it into another cooler. I

2. The combination of a first and a second bank of internal combustionengine cylinders, two pumps, and a first and a second cooler connectedin series with the pumps and cylinders, 'the'first bank receivingcooling medium from the first cooler-and discharging it into the secondcooler and the second bank receiving cooling medium from the secondcooler and discharging it to the first cooler.

3. The combination ofa first and asecond bank of internal combustionengine cylinders, means for cooling the banks comprising a first and asecond cooler, each cooler having a lower and an upper header and aplurality of cooling tubes between the headers, a first pump forcirculating cooling medium from the first cooler through the first bankinto the second cooler, and a second pump for circulating cooling mediumfrom the second cooler through the second bank into the first cooler. I

4. The combination of a first and a second bank of internal combustionengine cylinders, means for cooling the cylinders comprising a first anda second surface type heat exchanger,

,through the second bank to the first heat exchanger, a reservoir forcontaining make-up cool- I ing medium at a level substantially equal tothe level of the coolingmedium in the surface type heat exchangers, andconduit means connected between the reservoir and the inlets of thepumps for conducting make-up cooling 'medium from the reservoir throughthe banks to the heat exchangers.

5. The combination of two internal combustion engines, at least twosurface type heat exchangers connected in series with the engine means,pump means for circulating cooling medium from one heat exchangerthrough one engine to the other heat exchanger, a conduit connected tothe pump means, and means for venting one of the heat exchangerscomprising a pipe connected between such heat exchanger and said conduitto conduct overflow from such heat exchanger through the engine to theother heat exchanger.

FREDERICK H. BREHOB.

